"Liberals and conservatives have lost their meaning in America. I represent the distracted center." proclaimed Jon Stewart (Nordquist 1). Liberals would be Democrats while conservatives would refer to Republicans. As citizens of the United States continue to be frustrated with the government due to the wars between Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2008 recession, and bipartisan gridlock in Congress, Stewart continues to criticize Democrats and Republicans alike on the Daily Show. To fully understand Jon Stewart's role in the modern political landscape of the United States, it is necessary to understand his life, his achievements/works, and his impact. Jon Stewart had a pretty typical American childhood. Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz) was born to Don Leibowitz, a physicist who worked for Princeton, and Marian Leibowitz, an educational consultant, on November 28, 1962 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Stewart grew up in a middle-class Jewish family. Stewart attended a yeshiva kindergarten in Trenton and later attended public school along with his brother. Stewart's comedic skills were evident early on: "I was very little, so being funny helped me have great friends," Stewart observed (Gillick 2). At the age of eleven his parents separated, which led to Stewart's father becoming estranged from Stewart. Stewart listed George Carlin and Richard Pryor as some of his early comedic influences early on (Bates 1). Stewart later gained a reputation as a class clown at Lawrence High School and was also heavily involved in politics (Gillick 3). Stewart described himself as a “leftist” and an admirer of 20th-century American socialist Eugene Debs. He graduated in 1980 and was described by his twelfth grade English teacher, Larry Nichol as “He was very… middle of the road… December 14, 2013. Shapiro, Ari. “Jon Stewart's Last Act: The 9/11 Rescuers Bill.” NPR. NPR, December 26, 2010. Web. December 6, 2013. Wapshott, Nicholas. "Pretend: What's Jon Stewart about? And why should we welcome The Daily Show? Nicholas Wapshott reports from New York." New Statesman [1996] 10 October 2005: 42+. Student resources in context. Network. December 6, 2013.Carter, Bill. “CNN to cancel 'Crossfire' and cut ties with commentator.” Nytimes.com. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., January 6, 2005. Web. December 14, 2013. Chinni, Dante. “Politics Matters: The Impact of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.” Blogs.wsj.com. Dow Jones & Company, February 17, 2012. Web. December 12, 2013.Morin, Richard. “Jon Stewart, enemy of democracy?” Washingtonpost.com. Katharine Weymouth, June 23, 2006. Web. December 14, 2013. Ryals, Jimmy. "Art and Politics". Web.archive.org. The Internet Archive, May 30, 2006. Web. December 8. 2013